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October US 20: No X
November 27 1999 -- Markos Giannopoulos |  |
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We got PC Data's hits list for top-selling software for the month of October for a few days now, but it's never late to post about it. Well, most probably cause Alien Crossfire was on the market for only 10 days of October, it doesn't appear in the top 20 at all. On the other hand we didnt see it in the top 10 weekly listings of late October and early November... I guess we'll see in
the November top 20. Top selling games for October were Age of Kings(which was also the best selling piece of software of all categories), Deer Hunter III, Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear and Roller Coaster Tycoon.
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Review Summary
November 27 1999 -- Markos Giannopoulos | |
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Look on your left, and you'll see a box with all the reviews of smac-x we've seen so far along with the ratings given.. Quite good if you ask me. If you see a review that we havent found yet, please mail us.
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Good Follow-Up
November 26 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
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GameSpot (US) has given Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire, aka SMAC-X, a 8.3 rating. In their review, author Elliott Chin says that fans of the original SMAC will want to get this expansion pack for all the goodies it contains. The review sticks to primarily discussing, in brief, the facts about the numerous features that SMAC-X offers. One may begin to wonder whether it is a review or simply a book report. However, Chin does not disappoint:
"Usually, expansion packs for such games simply add new scenarios (as with the Civilization II packs) without really expanding the gameplay, but Alien Crossfire adds a great deal to the original game. While Alien Crossfire's core game is still very much the same as its predecessor's, the new factions, technologies, and projects increase that core game's depth".
All but one of the five areas Chin looked at to come to his final verdict received 80% or above -- what was the lone dissenter? Graphics, which may come as a surprise to many as it had been SMAC-X's poorly received Sound Effects that has been hardest hit in previously known reviews of the game.
Players are welcome to submit their own reviews of Alien Crossfire to GameSpot here.
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GameWire Revists Planet In SMAC-X
November 22 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
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Aerogear of GameWire revisits Planet in their review of SMAC-X, more commonly referred to as Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire. It is the most screenshots intensive known to date, with more than 20 in total. As an apparent offset, the areas that the review touches upon are a paragraph at best. Needless to say there is no beating around the bush, which carries its own pros and cons. Nonetheless, an impressive showing for the much accredited expansion pack! Below is just some of what GW has to say:
GRAPHICS (7.0): "Alien Crossfire still suffers as did Alpha Centauri in the graphics interface of the game. It is still confusing as ever to build units and buildings. The spectacular cut scenes are a plus, but that's pretty much it".
SOUND (9.0): "The game music was my favorite element of sound, as it calmed my nerves whenever I couldn't find a way to transport land units from the sea to the land. The sound in the cut scenes was also great, as you can hear the sounds of anything displayed in the cut scene".
INNOVATION (7.0): "Not a real strongpoint of the game, but not a bad one either. I still felt that there was too much in common with this game and Alpha Centauri".
GAMEPLAY (7.0): "This was the part I absolutely LOVED. Although there is no 200+ page manual like in Alpha Centauri, Alien Crossfire should be easy to get into, since it uses the same controls as in Alpha Centauri".
Conclusion? "The game is incredibly fun to play and is worth every penny of what I paid for it. But if you haven't touched your Alpha Centauri disc in about 6 months, then this game probably isn't for you" -- (8.13).
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SMACX V2 Patch Lists
November 17 1999 -- Markos Giannopoulos | |
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Tim Train made two important announcements on our forums today, concerning SMACX V2, or better the first Alien Crossfire patch. One was about what has been fixed so far, a rather long list. The other was about things that have been reported,
but Firaxis hasn't been able to reproduce, so more info and saved games are requested. According to Tim, SMACX V2 "is still a few weeks away due to testing but should be available before the holidays"...
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CDMag Gives The Go
November 16 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
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Computer Games Magazine's Lee Johnson has reviewed Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire, and has given it a decent 4/5 star rating. Here are some notable excerpts from the full account, both postive and negative:
"Some of the new secret projects are destined for popularity, like the Cloudbase Academy, which counts as an Aerospace Complex in every base, or the Manifold Harmonics project, which confers rich production bonuses upon fungus and monolith squares. The alien factions are fresh and fun to play. They have their own unit graphics and experience the game's fictional interludes from a completely different perspective.
...an apparent bug allows games to be started with only one alien faction. The game's AI seems to struggle even more with the human factions than it did pre-Crossfire, though they can still do well with a good starting position. Graphics performance is still lacking, if not worse --- even on fast systems. Unfortunately, Alien Crossfire does not include low-resolution versions of its 3-D unit files to improve performance, as Alpha Centauri did.
Alien Crossfire is a jam-packed expansion that seamlessly blends many new and interesting features into an already great game ".
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B. Brenesal on SMAC-X, Supplementary
November 16 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
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A few weeks ago we reported on Barry Brenesal's review of SMAC-X on GameProWorld, one of the first known to be published online. He contacted us a little over a week ago, and mentioned one additional point that he didn't have space to include his review:
"I still wish Brian, Sid and Company would stick in some algorithyms for computerized factions to expand their land mass via formers. If you play sensibly, it's still nearly impossible to lose in a waterworld game against the computer. Admittedly, the new seabase facilities that increase resource harvesting level the playing field a bit; and I have a sneaking suspicion that the piratical faction was added to counter just the win situation I refer to. Still, it's a kludge; I'd love the thrill of seeing Deidre expanding her island into a continent, covered with native lifeforms.
The choice of new factions was very canny, and seems to provide counters for many fave factions in the old regime. If you like Zakharov (I do), the data folks with their annoying probes offer a genuine challenge. And the two alien factions, able to choice their research paths, are a challenge to *any* faction when you leave the random research option turned on ".
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CD Anxiety
November 14 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
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Tom Chick, reviewer at GameCenter, has a bone of contention to pick with Firaxis and Electronic Arts over their Alpha Centauri expansion pack Alien Crossfire. This issue cost the game 10% in his overall rating of the game, dropping its final score to a 7. In his article, Chick sights what he sees as poor game balance and a buggy faction editor for partially swerving SMAC-X off course of acheiving a higher mark. But, it was the fact that he now needs the CD in his drive to play it that proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back. His final paragraph states it quite bluntly:
"Some genius at Firaxis or Electronic Arts has decided that you can't play the game unless the CD is in the drive. This was not the case with Alpha Centauri; it was a perfect laptop game and was no trouble to load for a few quick turns. It was even pretty easy to play by email. Not only can you not play Alien Crossfire without the CD, but also the installation process "retro-engineers" your original Alpha Centauri installation so you can't even play that without the CD in the drive.
In the future, I will kindly thank the folks at EA or Firaxis to keep their fingers out of my hard drive and away from the games I've already paid for ".
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SMAC-X: Ace From ESCMag
November 13 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
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Don't you just love it when things are perfect? There are not many things in this world that have been brewed to perfection, goes an old saying, but as far as ESCape Magazine is concerned, Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire is one of them. Reviewer Andy Grieser gave it 10 out a possible 10 keys. This is the same score as ESCMag gave its parent Alpha Centauri over six months ago. Given that it is an expansion pack, and such a score only goes to the cream of the crop in the industry, it makes you wonder if Firaxis can outdo themselves with future projects.
"The aliens are marvelous, with totally new technology, units and victory conditions. That’s all to be expected from an add-on, but Alien Crossfire handles it exceptionally well. Even more so because humans and aliens share technology, allowing either side to use the other’s units and often resulting in intriguing hybrids.
Add another feather to the caps of Meier and Reynolds; they haven’t lost the magic that makes their strategy games top-notch. ".
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IGN Alien Crossfire Review
November 12 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
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Trent C. Ward, whose name Civ fans might recognize from previously publicized reviews, has taken a stab at Alien Crossfire, aka SMAC-X, the official expansion pack for Alpha Centauri. Needless to say, he was impressed.
"Alien Crossfire is one of the most ambitious and entertaining expansion products ever released, blending seamlessly with the original Alpha Centauri package to give gamers and excellent reason to return to one of the most popular gaming worlds ever created, Planet.".
How's that for an opening paragraph? There's more:
"These [new] factions, and the individual stories associated with each of them are the real strength behind Alien Crossfire.".
And in conclusion, Ward writes that "while those who are looking for a change in their multiplayer games will certainly have a few new options to play with, you'll find that they won't make all that much difference in the long run. Still, by adding seven entirely new factions, each with their own rich storyline, Firaxis has given an amazing new life to their original product which is certainly worth the cost of an expansion pack".
Click here to read the whole shabang!
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International Versions Update
November 2 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
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Anxious for your localized version of SMAC-X? Expect an official announcement anyday now on the heels of Tim Train's confirmation that the French and German versions have been finalized, but are not yet being mastered -- they still have to go through Electronic Arts' Quality Assurance department.
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What's That Name Again?
November 2 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
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With most SMACers engrossed in Alien Crossfire, and Firaxis taking a well earned step back from the grindstone, it may seem to most that SMAC-related news has come to a virtual halt... not a chance!
While we patiently wait for the gaming critics to pass their verdicts on the recently released SMAC expansion, admist other things, below is a rather heartwarming tale  from a Mr. Kenneth Westerby of Oslo, Norway:
"When Firaxis first presented the new factions for SMAC-X, the Cyborgs was lead
by Aki Luttinen. Being Norwegian I responded to Firaxis regarding the name. I've sent this e-mail:
To: webmaster@firaxis.com
Subject: Aki Luttinen of Hollingsdall - Very bad name for a Norwegian (From SMAC-X)
Hi Firaxis,
Greetings from Oslo, Norway! As a Sid Meier games fan since the first of the Civ series. I find Meiers' games to be of high quality and personally my preferred games of choice. The reason for this mail is the name chosen for the Norwegian caracter in the upcoming SMAC-X.
Aki Lutttinen is not a Nowegian name at all! It's Finnish! And second the name Hollingsdall is nonexistent. There is however a canyon named "Hallingdal". Hallingdal spans across the 2 largest cities in Norway and would be a good place of birth.
As for the Name, I've would suggest a more Norwegian approach.
'Aki' is quite similar to 'Anki'. 'Anki' is short for 'Anne Katrine' whom is very Norwegian.
Luttinen is however not native to Norway. I would suggest the name 'Hansen' as that origins from "Hallingdal".
Anki Hansen from Hallingdal (Anne Katrine) would be an excellent choice! Keep up the good
work!!!
Next time I checked the faction out it was changed! Now, the funny thing about this is that the new name is exactly the same as my girlfirends' nickname (she hates me playing SMAC)! So now I've got a great excuse! Shes in the game and she's also blonde!
How many other fraction leaders are based one someone you know? "
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